State criticised over promoting Cyprus problem abroad

THE STATE was yesterday criticised for not putting enough emphasis on promoting the Cyprus problem abroad.

Famagusta Mayor and president of the Municipalities Union Alexis Galanos said this is a problem that concerns all the governments since the Turkish invasion in 1974.

The funds available for promoting the Cyprus problem abroad were discussed at the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

Foreign Minister Markos Kyprianou said the specific budget for 2009 has increased by 30 per cent compared to last year – from €2 million it has gone to €3 million.

But Galanos, along with a number of MPs, felt this budget was not enough to serve its cause.

Galanos also complained about the Cyprus media’s coverage of refugee issues. “If we expect something to succeed abroad, we first need to see how we deal with it internally.

“The [Cyprus] media generally fails to pay attention to refugee problems,” he pointed out.

Cyprus’ failure so far to promote the Cyprus problem effectively has been noted by the current government, according to Kyprianou, who said it was currently examining new ways to improve the situation.

“In co-operation with the Government Spokesman, we in at the final stages of completing a new strategic plan on how to better use the funds,” said Kyprianou.

The plan includes a number of short-term and long-term measures, which he said would bring better results.

This, Kyprianou added, includes seeking the co-operation of the public, local authorities and municipalities, as well as holding lectures abroad and use of the internet.

“This is a new and more flexible approach, and it will start being implemented with the 2009 budget. We will set specific aims and see how they can be better enforced,” the minister explained.

Antigoni Papadopoulou of DIKO was in favour of using new technologies, such as the internet, “so our message can be accessible abroad”.

AKEL’s Takis Hadjigeorgiou added, “Over the decades we have used ancient methods to promote our problem abroad. Today we can change that. We need to become more convincing.”

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.